The Archer with a Sword
by Thanes
Summary: Takumi, constantly seeking to improve himself, has a strange encounter in the middle of the night during his secret training.
1. A sudden meeting

Takumi opened his tent and carefully looked around to make sure the people keeping watch didn't see him. When he saw that the coast was clear, he hurried to the nearby forest with his divine bow and a normal training katana under the cover of darkness. After having run for almost ten minutes, he figured he was far away enough to start his secret sword practice. The area was perfect: the glade was shaped almost like a ring, surrounded by large trees that didn't completely block out the moonlight.

He delicately lay his bow leaning against a big oak, unsheathed the dulled iron katana and lazily swung it around, testing its weight. Then he started imagining enemies wielding all kinds of different weapons, and he adjusted his fighting style accordingly.

" _Foot soldiers wielding lances want to keep their distances, get in close and aim where they won't have time to defend themselves_."

He dodged the imaginary enemy's thrust, quickly closed the distance and stabbed them in the chest.

" _Next, enemies with axes don't want to waste time prolonging an engagement since that'd put them at a disadvantage, meaning they'll go for quick, strong blows with poor accuracy that'll leave them vulnerable_."

He jumped backwards, avoiding an invisible swing that would've almost split him in half. He then jumped on top of a large boulder, deflected a blow, and kicked the hypothetical enemy in the head since he had the terrain advantage, and then jumped down to finish them off.

" _Swordsmen rely on their speed more than anyone else. Try to deflect their blows with enough power to knock them off balance."_

He blocked an imaginary strike with such force that the enemy staggered backwards and left himself wide open.

Takumi continued until he was almost completely out of breath and had to take a break. He sat down leaning against the tree where he had left his bow and looked up at the sky as his breathing slowly returned to normal. He coughed and wondered how long he had been going at it, and a part of him doubted it had even helped in the slightest. He quickly forced such unpleasant thoughts out of his mind, since he couldn't think of a better way to quickly become stronger without anyone noticing just how much effort he had to put into it, unlike his siblings and the Nohrian royal family which was now on their side, or at least pretended to be; it just seemed a bit too good to be true that they'd all defy their father out of the goodness of their hearts.

Still, even he couldn't deny how terrifyingly powerful they were, and even though he hated to admit it, he and Prince Leo did have a lot of common ground, so maybe they weren't as bad as he had originally thought.

He stood up and massaged his right arm, deciding it was time to head back. Dark clouds were beginning to cover the stars, and people would definitely ask questions if he returned completely soaked.

However, when he turned to grab his bow, he realized it was gone.

"Oh no." He murmured, putting his hands on his head. "Oh no oh no oh shit!"

He started to frantically look around but to no avail. His sweat was cold and his vision started to slightly blur until he saw a faint light in the distant. With a desperate focus, he ran as fast as he could until he could see the lone perpetrator. She was fairly short, and aside from a red hood covering her head, her clothes were unremarkable. However, Takumi did notice – and recognize – her wolf-like ears.

"Oh, good evening, Prince Takumi."

Takumi vaguely remembered that her name was Velour, the daughter of the Garou Flannel. Takumi had barely talked to the man, much less his daughter, so for her to greet him so casually in the middle of the night, wielding his bow, made Takumi question her sanity.

"What do you think you're doing?! You stole a divine weapon from a Hoshidian prince!" He burst out, quickly walking up to her and snatching the bow from her.

Velour didn't seem to mind neither getting the bow taken from her nor his temper. "You looked busy, and the bow was shining, so I got curious." She explained lazily with a small shrug.

Takumi's face reddened slightly and he tried coming up with something to say, but his tongue was faster than his brain, so he simply sputtered out a timid "you saw that, huh?"

She nodded. "I didn't understand why though, since you're a bowman; why would you need to start playing around with a sword in the middle of the night?"

Takumi wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and coughed, glad to have his bow back but more than a little uncomfortable talking to a strange girl who knew about his secret training. "Er…" he began weakly, avoiding her inquisitive eyes. "I just thought it might come in handy one day."

"You're lying." She responded immediately. Takumi prepared a retort, but she continued. "Oh well, it has nothing to do with me. Do you want to head back together?"

"Um, sure…" he said tentatively, and the two started walking in silence. Feeling a bit awkward, especially after his earlier anger had all but evaporated once she revealed she had been watching him, he tried coming up with something to talk about. "So why are you out here this late?"

"I was looking for treasure." She replied in a heartbeat. "I found this. Here."

She handed him what looked like…a mossy stone? Takumi resisted his ever-increasing desire to slap his forehead and instead asked "how's this treasure?"

She sighed as if he had missed something obvious. "Look at the cracks here, and how smooth the moss feels under your fingers. It's so precious...it's definitely a new favorite in my collection."

He didn't know how to respond to something like that, so he merely gave what he hoped sounded like a polite agreement and kept walking. His earlier training had left him physically drained, and he still felt agitated after the pointless chase of his bow, so he wasn't in the best mood to talk, even though the silence was awkward. In fact, he felt a bit weak.

And just as he finished that line of thought, it started raining.

"Shit…just my luck." He mumbled as he started walking faster. "Come on, Velour, or we're gonna get sick."

She agreed and started running, but slowed down once she realized Takumi wasn't keeping up. "Prince Takumi? Are you tired?"

"Yeah I…I don't feel so good." He said, holding his hand against his forehead. He tried to keep walking, but he eventually fell down, and before losing consciousness, he thought he heard his name being called from somewhere far away.

_

Takumi had no idea what happened next. He knew he was lying down on a bed somewhere and that people had been coming and going, but he had no idea who or how long they stayed, and he only remembered snippets of their conversation. They often talked about his health and the forest, and they occasionally mentioned the rain, but the specifics were hazy. He lost consciousness again, but the next time he woke up he at least had the energy to look around and take in his surroundings: he was clearly in the medical tent, and judging by the lack of personnel and patients, all alone. The tent was spacious, housing more than twenty beds and neatly organized equipment necessary for treating both wounds and diseases. Each bed had a small wooden nightstand next to it, and Takumi noticed there were two chairs next to his bed, a fresh change of clothes hanging on one of them, which made him realize he was only in his smallclothes.

He turned his head to the side and started coughing violently, his throat feeling like it was on fire. Fortunately, there was a transparent jug filled with water and a glass on the nightstand next to him. However, he soon realized that he didn't have enough energy to lift the heavy jug, and he couldn't muster up the strength to call for a nurse or a maid. He rested his head on the pillow, waiting for someone to show up. He fought hard to stay awake just to quench his thirst, but he came dangerously close to falling asleep.

Suddenly, a large, stoic-looking man clad in black armor entered the tent.

"P-Prince Xander?" Takumi asked hoarsely, wondering what brought him to the medical tent.

Xander hushed him. "Don't speak. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, I apologize if I interrupted your rest."

"W-Water…" Takumi all but whispered. While he didn't like the idea of asking for favors in general, much less asking the crown prince of Nohr to pour him a glass of water, he didn't have many options at the present.

However, Xander didn't seem to mind. "Oh, of course." He replied without a trace of indignation and walked over to the nightstand. He filled the glass to the brim and carefully handed it to Takumi who managed to lower his head as a thank you. He emptied the glass in one swing and Xander refilled it. "I think you've been sleeping for about 12 hours, by the way." He began casually. "That Velour girl came back to camp in the middle of the night, soaked to the skin due to the downpour, carrying you and your bow on her back. She's much stronger than she looks, that's for sure."

Takumi took a sip of water and rested his his head on the pillow, trying to keep his focus on Xander, who had a smug smile on his face.

"So this is how the Hoshidian royalty does things, is it? How amusing." He said with a self-satisfied chuckle. "You should get some rest; you've got your siblings worried."

And just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished, and Takumi once again lost consciousness.

_

Six hours later, he woke up feeling much better relatively speaking. He sat up and noticed that there was a book on his nightstand, most likely from Leo, seeing as it was about contemporary Nohrian philosophy.

" _Just the kind of light reading a sick man needs, huh?_ " He thought with a smile, surprisingly touched by the small gesture, even though he was too tired and dazed to read anything at the moment. Instead he passed some time listening to what was going on outside: judging by the lighthearted conversation and the faint smell of grilled meat, onions and something else he couldn't put his finger on what it was, it was dinnertime. Feeling bored and the wonderful smell making his stomach growl, he briefly thought about getting up and joining the others, but realized he probably wasn't strong enough yet, nor would Sakura or the maids let him.

" _Ugh, like they needed more reason to think I'm pathetic._ " He thought bitterly, running his hand through his long hair. He mustered up enough strength to stand and walked over to a large bowl filled with clear water that served as the wash basin and cleaned his face and upper body and felt refreshed. He walked back to the bed but didn't feel like sleeping at the moment. He tried reading the book left by Leo to combat his boredom, but even though he would've been very happy to read it under normal circumstances, the words blended together and made no sense in his current state.

Just when he thought he was going to die of both boredom and hunger at the same time, Velour walked into the tent, carrying a tray with a plate of food and a cup of tea.

"Prince Takumi, you're looking better." She said with a small smile, yet her voice sounded as distant as always. "My, what big pecs you have."

Takumi instantly pulled up the blanket to cover himself, but Velour continued walking towards his bed, completely unfazed by both his lack of clothes and his reaction. She sat down on one of the chairs and placed the tray at the nightstand. "I figured you might be a bit hungry, so I brought you this." She said, pointing at the tray. "Felicia cooked it, but the general consensus seems to be that it's pretty good."

" _Is this girl insane?"_ He thought, eyeing her with suspicion before muttering a "thank you". He ate in painfully awkward silence as Velour never left the chair, but instead just sat there and watched, her brown, half-shut eyes conveying a sense of aloofness.

"Um…" He began once he had finished eating and held the still-warm teacup in his hands. "Thank you, but why exactly are you here?"

Velour closed her eyes as if she were thinking hard about something. "I felt guilty."

"Huh?"

"You were so mad yesterday when I borrowed your bow, and you looked like you were ready to keel over. If I hadn't done anything, you probably wouldn't have collapsed, and you would have made it back to camp before the rain started, so you wouldn't have gotten as sick as you are." She explained with minimal body language, her arms crossed.

"Oh." Takumi said eloquently, taken aback by her reasoning. "Uh, don't worry about it, I barely even remember what happened yesterday."

Her ears twitched slightly and she smiled softly. "I'm glad you're not mad. I thought you were the kind of person who would mind getting carried back into camp and making everybody worry."

And just like that, Takumi vaguely remembered Xander saying something about that with a knowing smile. "Oh no…ooooh no…"

Velour simply looked at him inquisitively, waiting for him to continue.

"What…uh…what happened when we got back?" He asked weakly, coughing into his hand.

Velour hummed, trying to recall last night's events. "Well, you collapsed, so I got worried about you, and I couldn't leave you out in the rain, so I carried you on my back. I'm much stronger than I look, you know." She said contently, jokingly flexing her arms, but Takumi didn't look like he was in a good mood, so she continued. "Your breathing was ragged and you were burning up, so I quickly called for Sakura, whose scream woke up about half the camp; she, Felicia and Flora took care of you while I was interrogated by Princess Hinoka."

Takumi hid his face in his hands, sighing heavily. It felt as if though all the meager respect he had managed to scrape together had disappeared overnight; he would be a laughingstock for weeks to come.

Velour broke the silence, her normal poker face hiding what she was thinking. "You look upset."

"Well of course I am!" He burst out as loudly as he could, his throat once again feeling as if it were on fire. "I'm a joke!

"So?"

"What do you mean 'so'?!" He yelled, although Velour didn't seem disturbed at all. "I don't know what kind of fantasy world you live in where stones count as treasures and you can play around in the forest in the middle of the night, but I'm a prince! I've got people to take care of, and I can't do that if people think I'm some sort of clown like you!"

Velour didn't say anything, she merely looked at him for a few seconds, much to his dismay. Then, she quickly stood up, grabbed the tray and started to walk away; she was halfway out the tent when she stopped. "You need to improve your footwork." She said without even turning to face him, her voice sounding much more emotional than Takumi had ever heard it.

And just like that, she was gone, and Takumi was once again left alone with his thoughts. His behavior and what he had said finally started sinking in as his anger and shame were replaced by feelings of guilt. A part of him considered chasing after her, but he wouldn't know what to say even if he did find her, and he was still too embarrassed by what happened last night to actually look anybody in the eye.

" _Shit, just my luck…no, who am I kidding, this is all my fault."_ He thought with a sigh, once again burying his head in his hands and rubbing his eyes with his palms.

And just when he thought he couldn't feel worse, he saw that Velour had left her prized stone she found yesterday on his nightstand.

_

AN: Not actually a big fan of the children in Fates as they're sort of a forced mechanic, but I really like Velour for some reason. I also like the idea of writing about characters who have very little in common, or nothing at all, interact.

Please tell me what you think!

 **Disclaimer: Fire Emblem and all of its characters belong to Intelligent Systems. I own nothing nor do I claim to.**


	2. Trust me, this always works!

"You did WHAT?!"

The high-pitched voice was almost enough to shatter glass. Takumi winced in pain and reflexively covered his ears even though it was too late. The scream shocked Flora and Felicia, who had been working and talking to each other without paying the royals any mind, and were now looking at them.

Takumi had been bedridden for two days in a row and was finally feeling close to a hundred percent; whatever illness he had suffered, it seemed to have left him almost as suddenly as it had hit him. He had just gotten dressed after a bath when he ran into Elise and Sakura, and since he felt like he needed advice on how to handle his situation with Velour, he had told them what had happened between them. Needless to say, Elise didn't take it well.

"Yeah, I know, I feel awful." Takumi admitted, holding up his arms defensively against the upset girl who looked as if though she could attack him at any minute. "That's why I'm asking you for help."

Elise put her hands on her hips and let out a loud 'humph', her enormous pigtails swaying dramatically. "I'm not sure we want to help you, right, Sakura?"

Sakura looked desperately between her friend and her brother, trying to decide who she wanted to support. "W-Well…um, I don't know…I'm not sure I even could help…I don't know her, and as far as I know she doesn't have any friends." She explained diplomatically, looking nervously at her feet.

This revelation made Takumi feel even worse than before. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, trying to think. "Well, thanks guys, I'm gonna go see if I can find her." He said as he sulked off, leaving Elise and Sakura alone, and Flora and Felicia gossiping over what they thought that was all about.

Once he was out of earshot, however, Elise's angry façade dropped and she squealed excitedly. "Sakura, we've got to help them get together!"

"Eh?" She returned with a blank look on her face, not sure what Elise was talking about.

She grabbed Sakura's hands and looked her dead in the eye, smiling almost predatorily. "Don't you see? It's perfect! They met under mysterious circumstances, she pretty much saved his life by carrying him home on her back AND then she visits him when he's sick! She's a lonely person seeking friendship, and your brother is all worried about her! We've just got to make those two actually find each other…hm."

"…Eh?" Sakura replied again, although this time with an amused smile on her face. "B-But she's angry at him…and they hardly know each other; why would they…"

"Just leave it all to me!" Elise exclaimed with confidence. "I've read all about this in those Hoshidian comics you gave me! I've already hatched the perfect plan!"

_

A day passed without Takumi being able to find her. He knew her sense of smell was far better than any human's, so he didn't write off the possibility of her catching his scent and avoiding him on purpose. The idea angered him somewhat, since he was really trying his hardest to do the right thing and apologize, but if she didn't even want to see him, then there was nothing he could do. He still wasn't sure if the girl was sane or not, so he thought it might be for the best if he just forgot about the whole ordeal and did something more productive. It was still morning, so he prepared himself for a new day as he thought about the upcoming march. He he had learned a lot from listening to Leo and Hinoka, so he felt confident he could contribute with a few ideas of his own and maybe even impress the two royal families during the war meeting later this afternoon.

He sighed as he washed his face, wondering why he even cared so much about recognition in the first place; hadn't Velour said something about that as well?

" _Well whatever, it's not I'm going to see her anytime soon._ " He thought as he prepared to leave his tent. However, a small, handwritten note with impeccable handwriting caught his attention. He picked it up and curiously read through it.

" _Prince Takumi,_

 _Please meet me at the large peach tree to the north at noon today._

 _Velour_ "

He got slightly nervous at the formality of it all; was she going to yell at him far away from the camp? Would she listen to what he had to say? The questions were many, but he figured he would get his answers in just a few hours, which was ironic considering he just thought he might never see her again. He walked outside, ate breakfast and continued his normal routine as best he could, although he did it in a more absent-minded way than usual as he kept track of the time.

Hours passed and the time drew near. Telling his siblings he was going hunting, he grabbed his bow and headed north towards the peach tree. Since they had been staying in the same place for a while now to rest and repair weapons among other things, he had had plenty of time to scout the surroundings, both when going hunting and practicing his swordplay alone. They had set up camp near a dense forest on the southern part of the Hoshido-Nohr border, meaning there were plenty of nearby towns of both countries from which they could recruit volunteers to the war, and their numbers grew by the day.

However, there was nothing but forest and wildlife to the north. Since the two countries' climate differed greatly, there were a lot of different types of plants and animals around, a lot of which Takumi had never seen. He walked on a small path leading him to his destination, taking in the serene atmosphere around him. The tall trees blocked most of the sun, and the fresh scent of greenery was soothing.

He finally reached the tree which stood alone on top of a large hill as if it were overlooking the forest. If he had read any of those novels Hinoka thought nobody knew she read at night, he would've said it was a romantic spot. The mountains to the west reaching all the way to the clouds, the forests spreading to the north as far as the eye could see and the long rivers to the south made it look almost idyllic.

"Prince Takumi, you're looking well. I'm glad."

A flat voice caught him off guard as he was enjoying the view. Of course, it belonged to Velour, who was wearing her red hood as always.

"Uh, yeah…thanks to you." He replied with an earnest smile, which she returned, her constantly half-shut eyes opening slightly.

There was an awkward silence as Takumi tried figuring out how to begin. Why was it always so awkward to talk to her? "So, did you want to tell me anything?" He finally asked, showing her the note.

She frowned, looking almost upset. "I have a note from you saying you had to tell me something important." She explained, pulling out a note of her own that was allegedly signed by him, saying the exact same thing. Velour read it again just to make sure she hadn't misread it somehow, but there wasn't a lot of text to get wrong. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Mysterious."

"Yeah I…wait a minute. Don't tell me…" Takumi said slowly, his expression darkening. Velour just looked at him, waiting for an explanation. "I think this may all be my fault." He continued, scratching the back of his head nervously, unsure as to how – or even if – he should explain his talk with Elise and Sakura. "I think someone is really trying to help me."

"Help you?"

Takumi nodded. "Yeah I, uh…wanted to apologize. I'm sorry for what I said and how I acted, after you pretty much saved my life, and then came to visit me. I tried apologizing to you yesterday, but I couldn't find you." He said seriously, giving her a long, low bow, his arms his hands clenched at his sides. "I hope you can forgive me."

Velour's eyes widened and she opened her mouth slightly in surprise, and for the first time in the short time he had known her, she looked nervous and at a loss for words, something Takumi didn't know was possible for her. "I…you make it very hard to be mad at you." She finally said with a sigh.

"One of my many gifts." Takumi replied with a smirk, accidentally coming across as more cocky than he had planned.

Velour let out a tsk and shook her head, her expression turning more serious. "It actually hurt, you know."

Takumi looked at his feet, kicking a small stone which rolled down the hill. "I know."

"And you yelled at me for what? Your pride?"

Takumi winced; she really was good at reading people whether she knew it or not. "Yes, that's right." He admitted quietly, looking her in the eye. "Sometimes, I feel like the thought of not looking strong and independent scares and motivates me more than my desire to be a good prince. Sometimes it feels like nothing I do matters, and that I'm destined to always remain in my siblings' shadow."

They were silent for a while, leaving Takumi wondering if he had said too much since he had never expressed these feelings aloud before. He found it easier to tell her since they hardly knew each other, and she didn't strike him as the gossiping type. Velour looked taken aback by his words, holding her right hand over her chest. "Why are you telling me this?" She asked, unsure if the prince was being serious or not.

"Because you deserve the whole truth, and I trust you. Hell, you saved my life." He said sincerely.

Velour gave him an uncharacteristically big, beautiful smile which told Takumi, who couldn't help but smile in turn, he had said the right thing.

But just as Takumi wrote himself a mental note to thank Elise and Sakura for helping him smooth things over, something very small and sharp pierced the side of his neck. He quickly pulled it out and saw that it was a strange-looking dart, not enough to cause any real damage, but it definitely hurt. He readied his bow and told Velour to get behind him, however, his vision started to blur as he tried finding their assailant, and he could see that Velour had also been attacked. After only a few seconds, they passed out, leaving them alone and defenseless with their mysterious attacker.

-

He awoke sitting on the floor of a relatively spacious prison cell, his body a bit numb. The sun shone through the barred window, telling him not much time had passed since they were attacked. Takumi also still felt the scent of greenery, meaning that they were most likely still in the forest, or at least in the outskirts of it. Even though there was a bed nearby, his kidnapper had put him on the ground for some reason.

As his body returned to normal, he noticed something pressing against his right shoulder. It was Velour's head, still sleeping, which was surprising considering the awkward positioning of the rest of her body. He might have been embarrassed and noticed how surprisingly cute she was up close had their situation been different, and if he wasn't busy getting grossed out over her drooling on him.

"Velour, wake up! Can you hear me?" He asked quietly, lightly shaking her.

She answered by hugging his arm tightly and getting more comfortable, making less than pleasant snoring noises as she moved about. She then hummed contently, and went back to sleep.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, he pinched her left ear with his free hand, and she practically flew up with a hiss. This unusual outburst didn't last long though, as she took in her surroundings and the memories of what had just happened came back to her. "Prince Takumi! Are you alright?" She asked worriedly sitting down next to him and putting a hand on the shoulder she had just treated as a pillow.

"I'm fine, but my body is still a bit numb." He said. "You look fine though, I'm glad."

She breathed a sigh of relief and stood up again, inspecting the prison cell. "Where are we? All of a sudden something stung me and now we're here." She crossed her arms as she regained her usual composure. "The poison must've been very potent, but whoever they are they don't apparently don't want to kill us. I suppose we just have to wait for an introduction."

"You're much calmer than I am!" Takumi said, genuinely impressed by her tone. "We should try to escape while they're away, I say!"

She shook her head, inspecting the bars. "They're too tough for me to break without a Beaststone. You're a prince though, so I'm sure people will come to rescue you, and it's most likely why we're here in the first place." She said with a yawn. "I'm going back to sleep."

Takumi frowned, having a hard time keeping up with her ability to first assess the situation calmly and then say something completely outrageous. "No, you're not. You're going to help me come up with a way to get out of here!" He said, standing up and looking down on her standard nigh emotionless face.

"I'm pretty sure you can't stop me." She replied, heading towards the bed.

"I'm pretty sure I can." He countered, running past her and jumping into the bed, leaving her no room to lie down. "What now?"

She looked at him, then scanning the bed, then looked at him again. "Move."

"No way, we're gonna come up with an escape plan!"

"We can do that after I get some sleep."

"Or you could realize that we need to flee!"

They bickered back and forth for several minutes, getting progressively louder as the debate got more heated. Velour tried to sit on the bed several time but was kicked off by Takumi's leg. When she had finally had enough, she grabbed his collar and thigh and lifted him over her head, once again surprising Takumi with the incredible strength she had even when not transformed. Just as he was afraid she was going to throw him into a cold, stone wall, they heard a cough behind them.

"Are we interrupting something?" Said a middle-aged, bald man. His sturdy build was visible even through a rather loose, plain-looking shirt, and his kind-looking green eyes were unfitting for what could only be a criminal.

Velour slowly put Takumi down, the pair even forgetting what they were arguing about. "Who're you?" Asked Takumi, trying to sound less afraid than he was.

"I'm Ken! And this is my husband Steve!" He said, grabbing another middle-aged man with black, oily hair who had been standing behind the wall next to the cell. Contrary to Ken, he was rather skinny, but like Ken, didn't look particularly dangerous. "We're two robbers, outlaws and part-time kidnappers who live here! We've got our own little gang living in this abandoned mansion, although most of them are away at the moment."

Neither Takumi nor Velour said anything, waiting for the strange duo to continue.

"We know you're Lord Takumi." Said Steve in a raspy voice. "Although I don't recognize your friend. What's your name, love?"

"Velour." She said, giving them a quick bow. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, likewise!" Ken said merrily, returning her bow. "So, let me explain why you're here: we're in need of money, and since you didn't notice Steve keeping watch at the peach tree, he thought it would be a good idea to kidnap you and sell Lord Takumi back to his rich relatives. We've already sent a letter, so it shouldn't take too long; do you want something to eat while you wait?"

Takumi inwardly cursed at managing to be kidnapped by the strangest criminals in history. If his cold hadn't completely shattered his credibility, this would. "Then you only need me, right? Let Velour go!"

"Aaaw!" Ken and Steve said in unison as Velour looked incredulously at the prince. "I won't leave you!" She said, her voice filled with determination. "We're in this together!"

There was a moment of silence as the three men were taken aback by the Garou's answer. "Welp, that settles that, then." Said Steve, breaking the silence. "Are you sure you don't want to go? I mean, Lord Takumi is right, we only need him…unless you also happen to have any rich relatives?"

"No."

"No to leaving or to not having any rich, sick grandmother somewhere who's going to leave you a big sum of gold in the near future?"

"No to both." Velour said, crossing her arms and smiling. Were these two really kidnappers?

Ken and Steve nodded in agreement. "Alright then, we'll tell you when the transaction is about to take place. If you need any food or have to go to the outhouse before that, start shouting like you did earlier and someone should come running." Ken said cheerfully.

"Hold on!" Takumi shouted as the couple was about to leave. "First of all, where's my bow? Secondly, how did you manage to knock us out like that?!"

Steve turned around, blowing his long fringe out of his eyes. "Your bow is safe, don't worry, and you'll get it back once your family shows up with the money; we wouldn't dream of trying to steal it, you know – we don't really want to have any further trouble with the royal family of Hoshido. To be honest, we're probably even more nervous than you guys are. Bye now."

They quickly left, leaving Takumi's second question unanswered. When the prince turned around to face his fellow hostage, he noticed she had already claimed the bed and made herself comfortable, smiling contently as she hugged the white pillow. With a sigh he sat down against the wall, staring out of the barred window as he cursed his usual luck. He couldn't help but wonder what his siblings would say, or what Hinata and Oboro would think about their lord being captured by the least threatening kidnappers in the entire world. How does one even begin to describe this situation? "A forged note aimed at mending a non-existent friendship lead me to getting knocked out and put in the prison cell of an abandoned villa".

Takumi scoffed and looked at Velour, whose even breathing indicated that she was sleeping. He envied her ability to take everything in stride and keep a cool head regardless of the situation, even if her calmness felt a bit creepy at times. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that she was not "all there", but she had refused to leave him alone even though most probably would have, and thinking about that brought a smile to his face. He put his hands in his pockets and picked up her special stone he had been planning on giving back to her. He looked at it, trying to see what made it so appealing, but he quickly gave up, accepting that he just didn't see what she did.

"Are you holding my stone?" Velour suddenly mumbled, scaring Takumi into sitting up straight against the wall.

"Y-Yeah…wait, how did you know? I thought you were sleeping…and you're staring into the wall!" Takumi said, standing up.

Velour turned to face him, eyes still closed. "It's a Beaststone. With it I could bust us out." She explained lazily, hugging the pillow tightly.

"What?!" He exclaimed loudly which made Velour open her eyes only to scowl at him. "Then let's get out of here!"

She wordlessly stood up with a yawn and grabbed the Beaststone which began emitting a red glow; fortunately, there were no guards around to see them. Before he knew it, a red, wolf-like beast taking up almost half the cell stood before the young prince. He would've been in awe had it not immediately started yawning and rubbing its eyes in what could only be described as a "Velour-esque" manner.

However, it was much easier to be impressed once Velour started working on the bars, almost effortlessly ripping them apart and then twisting them until they fell off; not even the most skilled metalworker in the world would be able to repair that door now, and it had taken her less than a minute to wreak such havoc.

"I believe this is the second time I've saved you in less than a week." She stated matter-of-factly, although not without humor. Takumi hadn't expected her to retain the ability to speak while in such a monstrous form, much less having the same voice as her normal self. She transformed back into her human form and made her way through the broken gate and waited for Takumi to do the same.

"A keyhole is worthless without a key." Takumi said sagely, making his way through the hole. "You'd still be stuck in there if I hadn't brought my stone."

"And I wouldn't have been there if it weren't for you." She reminded him, crossing her arms.

"And I wouldn't have been there if it weren't for Sakura or Princess Elise."

"Huh?"

"I'll tell you once we're out of here. Now, follow me!" He said, grabbing her hand as they ran towards the flight of stairs taking them to the more hospitable part of the mansion. While it couldn't compare to something like the Royal Palace of Hoshido, it was clear it had belonged to a very wealthy person, presumably from Nohr, given the interior design. The walls were white and the large windows covered by elegant crimson drapes, and quaint, wooden furniture made the place look too inviting to be a base of operations for bandits.

" _Strange, they said it was abandoned, yet this place looks spotless…_ " Takumi thought as the duo silently walked through a long corridor, still hand in hand.

They finally reached the main hall, where a young woman was polishing two suits of antique armor that were placed near the exit. She was singing for herself in Hoshidian, yet Takumi didn't dare to approach her; why would she be cleaning an outlaw hideout if she wasn't a part of it?

Velour, however, didn't particularly seem to care. She casually approached the woman and tapped her shoulder. "Hello. We're breaking out of here; where's my friend's bow?"

The young woman shrieked and reached for a weapon, only to realize she wasn't carrying one with her. "Oh, shit…"

"You tried." Velour said encouragingly. "Also, the statues look very clean, nice work."

"Uh…yeah...we've got strict cleaning duties; Ken and Steve have very high standards." She explained awkwardly, slowly looking around for something to defend herself with.

"I see." Velour said. "Now, about that bow?"

"W-what bow?"

Velour transformed into her Garou form and leaned in close. "It glows. I think you know what bow we're talking about."

"Oh, **that** bow!" The woman said unconvincingly, her face whitening after seeing the plain-looking girl transforming into a large beast. "I-it's over there in the chest by the stairs. Steve said he didn't have time to put it anywhere else!"

As soon as she finished her sentence, Takumi rushed to the chest she had pointed towards. Thankfully, it wasn't locked, and he found it stored there safely; he vowed to himself to never be so unobservant and let it be taken from him again. He made his way back to Velour, who saw that the Fuujin Bow was now in their possession again.

"Thank you, and sorry." She said, flicking the woman's forehead, which was enough to knock her unconscious and send her flying into the nearby wall, although not with a lot of force. Velour gently scooped her up in her gigantic arms and put her in a nearby armchair.

"You're terrifyingly good at this." Takumi said as she transformed back into her human form and giving her now-small shoulder a friendly pat. "I'm so glad we're on the same side."

"High praise coming from you." She said lightheartedly, although she couldn't help looking more than a little proud. "Let's go, Prince Takumi!"

They walked out the door and were met with almost the same magnificent view that could be seen from the peach tree where they first met. The outside of the mansion was very different from the inside, however, as it looked incredibly poorly maintained. The grass and weed almost reached Takumi's hips. The green field before them swayed in the wind, making it look like a viridian sea. They made their way towards the outer gate hurriedly, just in case anyone would stumble upon the woman they knocked out and they'd notice they had escaped. As they walked downward, the peach tree came into view, so they knew where they were and how to get to the camp.

However, as they had waded through about half of the garden, a sickening sound of metal striking against flesh was heard, and Velour let out a pained scream.

"Velour!" Takumi yelled, rushing to her side. "What's the matter?! What happened?!"

She breathed heavily and closed her eyes in pain. "My leg!" She said between ragged breaths.

Takumi quickly bent down and saw that she had stepped in a bear trap of all things, most likely placed here by the bandits. It was most likely for that very reason they had let the grass grow out of control. The young prince quickly bent it open and Velour collapsed on the ground, blood gushing from her right leg.

"Shit shit shit." Takumi mumbled, pulling up her right pant leg to get a better look at the wound.

She breathed quickly and through gritted teeth, but still had time to give him a snarky remark. "I'm glad you're sounding so calm, it's really helpful!"

The prince didn't reply, but instead ripped off his right sleeve and wrapped it tightly around her leg, which slowed the bleeding, although the cloth quickly darkened and looked sickeningly red and black.

"Thanks." She muttered, looking a bit calmer now although it was obvious she was still in a lot of pain. "Uh-huh…so what now?"

"I'm going to carry you." He said, placing his hand at the fold of her knees and upper back and lifted her up.

"You…you can't be serious." She said, one eye closed due to the pain.

"I am."

"You?"

"That's right."

"You're not going to be able to carry me in your arms all the way back to camp."

"…Shit."

After quite a bit of fuss, he got her on to his back, her arms wrapped around his neck and her head leaning against his shoulder, and the blood-soaked sleeve started to color Takumi's pants red. Her breathing had slowed down a bit, but the wound was big, and the longer they stayed out here, the greater the risk it would become infected. He started running, past the gate and towards the camp – on his way out, he noticed that the bandits had made a sign which warned travelers about the bear traps; he didn't mention this to Velour, however.

They had walked in silence for about 15 minutes when Velour started snoring, which calmed Takumi down, unlike last time she fell asleep. He could even put up with her less than charming noises and snorts right next to his ear, since it meant she was somewhat comfortable even though she was hurt. He really did admire her strength and ability to stay calm no matter what.

"Smells so good…" She mumbled drowsily and nuzzled his shoulder. It was clear that she was still asleep, but Takumi couldn't help blushing heavily. Had the circumstances been different, he wouldn't have minded having a pretty girl being this close and complimenting him, even if it was for something stupid like his scent.

He reached a glade where he could see several people talking heatedly. Once he got closer, he could see Ryouma and his subordinates as well as Hinoka talking to Ken and Steve. He briefly wondered exactly how he should deal with this, but Velour's condition didn't allow him the luxury to stall for time. He placed his faith in his siblings and walked towards them.

Ryouma, Hinoka, Steve and Ken were talking, but Saizou, who was keeping a watch on their surroundings, noticed Takumi. Before anyone could even react, he delivered a powerful blow to the back of Steve's head so that the skinny man immediately lost consciousness. He then drew his dagger and placed it at Ken's throat. Within seconds, the glade had grown eerily quiet.

"Saizou! What are you doing?!" Ryouma burst out, looking at his subordinate in shock.

"Milord, look." Saizou said, pointing at Takumi and Velour with his free hand. "Looks like we don't have to worry about the ransom anymore. Should I execute them now?"

Ignoring his question, Kagerou, Ryouma and Hinoka rushed to the duo while Saizou forced Ken to his knees. "Lord Takumi, I'm glad you're safe!" Kagerou said, gently taking Velour from his back and holding her carefully. Takumi breathed a sigh of relief; he had grown tired from carrying her for such a long distance, but more importantly, they were safe.

"What on earth happened to you two?!" Hinoka asked with an odd mixture of relief, rage and concern. "You look like shit!"

"Glad to see you too, sister." Takumi said, sitting down and wiping his forehead with his remaining sleeve. "We were knocked out with a poisoned dart and taken to an abandoned mansion, which is now the home of a criminal gang; I believe those two there are their leaders."

"Are you hurt?" Ryouma asked, getting straight to the point.

Takumi shook his head. "Not at all, but Velour is. We were actually treated very well; they even offered to let Velour go, but she chose to stick with me. Look, I'll tell you everything once we get back to our camp, but first, she needs medical treatment."

"I'll take her there at once, milord." Kagerou said, running towards the base with Velour in her arms at an incredible speed.

"Oi." Said Saizou, catching their attention. "What about this guy?"

Ken, the larger of the two bandit leaders, sat on his knees, looking down while holding his hands up in the air. "Well…this could've gone better; how did you get out."

"She's a Garou." Takumi informed him. "I unknowingly had a Beaststone with me, and after that we pretty much waltzed out; thanks for telling us the mansion was practically abandoned, by the way."

"Well, what are the odds?" Ken said with affably. "So uh, what happens now?"

"Good question." Saizou said with a glint in his eye, fastening his hold on the knife. "What DOES happen now?"

Ken gulped loudly. "THIS guy is a royal retainer?"

"I'm very good at what I do." Saizou all but whispered. "That includes dealing with scum like you."

"Saizou, that's enough." Ryouma commanded, and the shinobi immediately backed off. "Stand up, we won't reach an agreement with one man crawling on the ground."

"Thank you, milord." Ken said, standing up and brushing dirt off his pants. "Lord Takumi, I'm sorry for putting you through that. Believe me, I really didn't want to hurt any of you."

"I know." Takumi said with a smile. "Look, I won't pretend I'm not pissed, but you would let Velour go, and for that I'm grateful. You may leave if you promise to remove all the bear traps from the garden, and if you try to get decent jobs – in fact, why not join the army?"

"Takumi?" Ryouma asked with a perplexed look. "This really doesn't sound like you."

Takumi shrugged. "Yeah, I know…still, I don't believe these two are bad people, and judging by how easily we were taken out, I'm willing to bet they're good fighters."

Ken hummed, tapping his right food impatiently. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for the army life…but on the other hand, stealing has never felt right either...well, unless the target was particularly rich."

"Think it over, will you? We'll be waiting." Takumi said.

"I make no promises, but I am grateful, milord." Ken said with a bow. "And I apologize once more for the trouble we caused. Maybe someday in the near future we'll fight together as allies instead."

With that, he grabbed Steve with an 'up we go, dear' and started walking towards their hideout. Hinoka gave Takumi a punch to the arm and happily exclaimed "my little brother's growing up, nicely done!"

Saizou harrumphed bitterly, clearly disagreeing with the idea of letting two criminals escape justice. "We should head back, just in case those two double-cross us and bring reinforcements."

"I'd be happy to leave this behind me." Ryouma said in agreement. "I can't wait to hear the full story, Takumi…especially how you ended up alone in the forest with a girl."

Takumi groaned inwards as his two siblings placed a hand each on his shoulders, smirking in an uncharacteristically smug, knowing way.

_ 

AN: I had far too much fun writing Saizou, Ken and Steve. Also, Sakura's "Hoshidian comics" she gave Elise are, indeed, manga. They might make a return next chapter!chapter!/span/p


	3. Marriage counseling

Takumi was struck by a bolt of lightning and flew across the temporary training ground. Once he landed, his involuntary flight continued for an additional meter, dirtying both his skin and clothes. He tried to quickly get to his feet and face his opponent, but a hand stopped him, ready to fire another spell at any moment. The young prince admitted his defeat and sat down, catching his breath.

"Pathetic." Leo said, lowering his hand and snapping his fingers, lowering the magical force field he had set up which allowed them to battle against each other with no risk of any permanent damage and increased their pain tolerance. "It's not like you to not give your all during training." He extended a hand to Takumi, offering to help him up.

Takumi took his hand and stood up and proceeded to brush some dirt off his clothes. "Yeah, sorry, and it was my idea, too. I don't know what's wrong with me today."

Leo rolled his eyes. "I do."

"Tsk. Alright, I'll bite: what?"

"It's that girl, obviously."

Takumi groaned loudly, causing Leo to smugly smirk like he always did when he knew he was right. "Not you, too! My siblings won't just leave me alone; I hardly even know her!"

"You're hilarious when you get so flustered though, it's like watching a child flailing angrily thinking it's intimidating." Leo responded with a shrug.

Takumi looked at him darkly. "I miss the days when I thought you didn't have a sense of humor."

"And I miss the days when you didn't act like lovesick schoolboy, wondering whether or not you should visit her in the medical tent because you don't know what to say or if she even wants to see you after having spent so much time getting into trouble these last few days."

Ouch. Bullseye. Takumi looked awkwardly at his feet, trying to come up with something to say. "What would I even say? 'Hey, how have you been since I carried you to safety after I got you kidnapped?'".

Leo scoffed, crossing his arms. "I'm not your marriage counselor, but like any person with some semblance of an upbringing, I'd ask her how she's feeling, if her leg feels any better and if she needs something to keep herself occupied with in the medical tent. You've postponed meeting her a whole day now, just get it over with."

Takumi groaned again, lowering his head and shoulders in defeat. "Don't you ever hate always being right?"

"No, no I do not. It's one of the many things that makes me a winner." He explained haughtily, although not without humor.

"Whatever, I'll go if it makes you all shut up for a second." Takumi said, heading towards the medical tent, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulders.

"You're visiting a lady, you've got to take a bath first." Leo said sagely, pointing in the opposite direction. "And you'll have to change your clothes."

"I thought you said you weren't my marriage counselor?"

"Just shut up and appreciate my help." 

* * *

A newly bathed Takumi wearing a fresh change of casual clothes carefully balanced a tray with a bowl of vegetable soup and a cup of tea, thinking it would be a good idea to repay Velour for her kindness last time. The kidnapping happened two days ago, yet he had postponed visiting her because he was afraid he'd get nervous and not know what to say, a feeling that was very new to him; usually he'd just say what's on his mind. He felt bad for his tardiness though, remembering just how bored he had been while stuck in the medical tent. Hoping she wasn't angry at him, he picked up the pace, although he kept an eye on the soup the entire time.

"Hey, Velour, you awake?" He asked as he entered the tent, and he was met with a peculiar sight. She was sitting up in her bed, looking into a large mirror which was leaning against the wall while trying different poses. In front of her were what looked like hair accessories, ribbons and some makeup, although it didn't look like she had applied any of it.

"Ah, Prince Takumi!" She said happily, looking at him for a second but then going back to her poses. "Tell me, do I look like I'm ready to fight for justice and love?"

"I…what?"

"Princess Sakura and Princess Elise were here yesterday." She said in her usual plain tone, pointing at what Takumi could only describe as "girly stuff" in front of her. "They told me everything about the notes they wrote two days ago, and gave me a bunch of Hoshidian comics as an apology, and I've been reading them for one day straight now."

Takumi placed the tray down on the nightstand next to her bed. "Well…I'm glad they explained the situation and that they're trying to apologize but…what's this about justice and love?"

She stopped posing, thanked him for bringing her food and started eating at an incredible pace. "You see, out of the several Hoshidian comics they gave me, I've noticed two very distinct genres. One is about pretty girls in short skirts fighting for justice and love, while the other one is about total hunks playing sports who always end up shirtless." She informed him and then turned her attention back to the food which she seemed to want to finish quickly.

Her direct way of talking, coupled with her usual neutral tone and casual eating, made that ridiculous sentence sound even stranger than it had any right to be. "I see…I don't think I've ever read anything quite like that."

"Both genres seem to be aimed at children." She explained, reaching for a comic. "Here, this one is my favorite."

Takumi almost couldn't believe his eyes. On the cover was a half-naked young man on a beach whose physique would make Ryouma look like a couch potato, although Takumi was confident the real human body didn't look anything like that. The man on the cover had an innumerable amount of abs, a broad chest and big arms, one of which stroked his wet hair back as he stared at the potential reader with what could only be described as "bedroom eyes". His body and hair were wet, further emphasizing his impossible physique as small droplets made his entire body shine. The young prince didn't know what to say, causing Velour to laugh heartily.

"There's no way this is my little sister's." Takumi said in disbelief, finding it impossible to put the comic down.

"Well no, it's definitely mine now. I think I'm going to post it on a wall at home once this is all over." Velour said. "This is hilarious! Your little sister is a little pervert!"

Takumi groaned; he seemed to be doing that a lot today. "She's too young to be reading stuff like this…I wonder if I should tell my brother."

"Oh don't, especially not when he's probably reading stuff like this." Velour said, handing him another comic, although this time the cover was of a young woman with an impossibly frilly dress, knees bent inexplicably inwards as her butt was unnecessarily emphasized – Takumi immediately looked away, shouting incoherently as Velour once again laughed at his expense. "Aah, this is great…thanks for coming."

Takumi shut up instantly after hearing those words, feeling awkward for a very different reason now. He briefly thought he should've gotten used to it by now, seeing as Velour had a talent for making him feel embarrassed. "N-No worries, I'm having fun."

"Sure is better than the last time we were here."

"Heh, definitely. I'm not the one stuck in a bed, for one."

"And unlike you, I'm not a little wimp who'll start crying about my honor."

"Ouch…claws out today, huh? Why don't you transform and go scare the crap out of some poor girl and get it out of your system?"

They laughed together for a while, both of them used to each other even though they had only known each other for a couple of days, yet they had gone through a lot during that short period of time. Velour had a surprisingly beautiful, infectious laugh that seemed to fill the entire tent even though it was naturally quiet, much like her normal speaking voice. Even when she laughed she hardly used any body language, but her small shoulders bobbed up and down in an excitable manner. They eventually stopped laughing and Velour put her now-empty bowl on the tray and placed it on the nightstand.

"I missed you yesterday." She said suddenly, looking him dead in the eye in her usual direct manner with no trace of the earlier cheer. "Why didn't you come?"

Her reddish-brown, constantly half-shut eyes pierced his, and the awkwardness that was so common when talking to her returned. Takumi gulped, wondering why she had to keep asking questions he didn't have any answers for. "I honestly don't know." He said and paused, looking around the room; Velour was still looking at him, and it was uncomfortable to never know what she was thinking. "I…might have thought I should give you some space considering we've been hanging out so much."

"Why?" She asked immediately, her expression and tone hiding whatever it was she was feeling.

"I…"

She sighed and her giant ears dropped a bit. "Prince Takumi, please relax. I like you."

"Huh?"

"I think you apologize when you've done something wrong, you're brave and selfless when it counts, and most importantly, you're kind. You are already an excellent prince; I just wish you would believe in yourself some more." She explained kindly with a small smile, looking intently at him all the while.

Takumi was silent for a while, not sure how to respond to something like that or if he had even heard her correctly. Then he laughed nervously. "Haha-haa…how can you say something like that with a straight face?"

"Because I mean it." She replied instantly. "You have become an important friend in only a few days, but I feel like I have known you for a long, long time."

The young prince grew silent again, his face reddening slightly. "I feel the same way…damn, Velour, you really know how to make someone feel on top of the world."

She smiled again. "Good. We're friends, so stop acting so awkwardly."

"Yes, ma'am!" Takumi replied with a salute, but returned to a normal pose soon thereafter. They started talking whatever came to mind, from favorite color to hobbies to childhood memories. Their newfound friendship felt rock solid as it had been forged by rather extraordinary trials, and as Takumi relaxed and grew more comfortable around her, Velour seemed increasingly normal and less prone to making weird remarks or making the atmosphere disturbingly awkward – of course, she was still Velour, that hadn't changed, but Takumi realized that he didn't want the strange girl to be anyone else anyway. After two hours of constant talking, the young prince informed her that he had to go but that he'd be back tomorrow. However, before standing up, there was still one more thing he wanted to say.

"By the way, thanks. I think you're incredible, too."

The Garou's eyes opened widely as she looked away. "Oh…" She said, obviously struggling to find an adequate reply. Almost ten seconds passed before she quickly lay down and pretended to sleep, her fake snores comically exaggerated. Takumi rolled his eyes and tried shaking her, but she just pretended to snore even louder. Amused by her rare moment of bashfulness, he kept teasing her.

"Oh Vellie, you're so cute when you're sleeping!"

Her fake snores started to sound like a dying animal's final screech. Takumi stood up, took the tray and declared that he'd come back tomorrow, and that he'd bring real books for her to read, more than a little pleased over making the otherwise indomitable Garou speechless. 

* * *

**AN:** Alright, that was much shorter but still fun to write. The next chaper will most likely be the last one though, and it'll probably include a coronation party, teleportation and a very pissed off and awkward Leo.

Any feedback is appreciated!


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